diff --git a/core/includes/config.inc b/core/includes/config.inc
index 9439bf8..a45153c 100644
--- a/core/includes/config.inc
+++ b/core/includes/config.inc
@@ -172,12 +172,13 @@ function config_sync_invoke_sync_hooks(array $config_changes) {
     foreach ($remaining_changes[$op] as $key => $name) {
       // Extract owner from configuration object name.
       $module = strtok($name, '.');
-      // Check whether the module implements Attempt to pass 
+      // Check whether the module implements hook_config_sync() and ask it to
+      // handle the configuration change.
       $handled_by_module = FALSE;
       if (module_hook($module, 'config_sync')) {
         $old_config = new DrupalConfig(new DatabaseStorage($name));
         $new_config = new DrupalConfig(new FileStorage($name));
-        // @todo Passing $name is obsolete as soon as there is a proper ConfigObject.
+        // @todo $name is obsolete as soon as there is a proper ConfigObject.
         $handled_by_module = module_invoke($module, 'config_sync', $op, $name, $new_config, $old_config);
       }
       if (!empty($handled_by_module)) {
diff --git a/core/modules/config/config.api.php b/core/modules/config/config.api.php
index 273936d..7e92658 100644
--- a/core/modules/config/config.api.php
+++ b/core/modules/config/config.api.php
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
  *
  * @param array $config_changes
  *   An associative array whose keys denote the configuration differences
- *   ('new', 'changed', 'deleted') and whose values are arrays of configuration
+ *   ('create', 'change', 'delete') and whose values are arrays of configuration
  *   object names.
  * @param $target_storage
  *   A configuration class acting on the target storage to which the new
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
  */
 function hook_config_sync_validate($config_changes, $target_storage, $source_storage) {
   // Deny changes to our settings.
-  if (isset($config_changes['changed']['mymodule.locked'])) {
+  if (isset($config_changes['change']['mymodule.locked'])) {
     throw new ConfigException('MyModule settings cannot be changed.');
   }
 }
@@ -42,54 +42,45 @@ function hook_config_sync_validate($config_changes, $target_storage, $source_sto
  * Synchronize configuration changes.
  *
  * This hook is invoked when configuration is synchronized between storages and
- * allows all modules to react to new, deleted, and changed configuration. This
- * hook is invoked before the new configuration is written to the target storage.
- * Implementations of this hook only react to the differences. The new
- * configuration itself is written by the configuration system.
+ * allows a module to take over the synchronization of configuration data.
  *
- * @param array $config_changes
- *   An associative array whose keys denote the configuration differences
- *   ('new', 'changed', 'deleted') and whose values are arrays of configuration
- *   object names.
- * @param $target_storage
+ * Modules should implement this hook if they manage higher-level configuration
+ * data (such as image styles, node types, or fields), which needs to be
+ * prepared and passed through module API functions to properly handle a
+ * configuration change.
+ *
+ * @param string $op
+ *   The operation to perform for the configuration data; one of 'create',
+ *   'delete', or 'change'.
+ * @param string $name
+ *   The name of the configuration object.
+ * @param Drupal\Core\Config\DrupalConfig $new_config
  *   A configuration class acting on the target storage to which the new
  *   configuration will be written. Use $target_storage->load() to load a
  *   configuration object.
- * @param $source_storage
+ * @param Drupal\Core\Config\DrupalConfig $old_config
  *   A configuration class acting on the source storage from which configuration
  *   differences were read. Use $target_storage->load() to load a configuration
  *   object.
  */
-function hook_config_sync($config_changes, $target_storage, $source_storage) {
-  foreach ($config_changes['new'] as $name) {
-    if (strpos($name, 'image.style.') === 0) {
-      // Load the new configuration data and inform other modules about it.
-      $style = $source_storage->load($name)->get();
-      $style['is_new'] = TRUE;
-      module_invoke_all('image_style_save', $style);
-    }
+function hook_config_sync($op, $name, $new_config, $old_config) {
+  // Only image styles require custom handling. Any other module settings can be
+  // synchronized directly.
+  if (strpos($name, 'image.style.') !== 0) {
+    return FALSE;
+  }
+
+  if ($op == 'delete') {
+    $style = $old_config->get();
+    return image_style_delete($style);
   }
-  foreach ($config_changes['changed'] as $name) {
-    if (strpos($name, 'image.style.') === 0) {
-      // Load the new configuration data, inform other modules about the change,
-      // and perform any further actions that may be required for the change to
-      // take effect.
-      $style = $source_storage->load($name)->get();
-      $style['is_new'] = FALSE;
-      module_invoke_all('image_style_save', $style);
-      // Delete existing derivative images.
-      image_style_flush($style);
-    }
+  if ($op == 'new') {
+    $style = $new_config->get();
+    return image_style_save($style);
   }
-  foreach ($config_changes['deleted'] as $name) {
-    if (strpos($name, 'image.style.') === 0) {
-      // The style has been deleted, so read the previous configuration from the
-      // old storage.
-      $style = $target_storage->load($name)->get();
-      module_invoke_all('image_style_delete', $style);
-      // Delete existing derivative images.
-      image_style_flush($style);
-    }
+  if ($op == 'change') {
+    $style = $new_config->get();
+    return image_style_save($style);
   }
 }
 
@@ -103,7 +94,7 @@ function hook_config_sync($config_changes, $target_storage, $source_storage) {
  *
  * @param array $config_changes
  *   An associative array whose keys denote the configuration differences
- *   ('new', 'changed', 'deleted') and whose values are arrays of configuration
+ *   ('create', 'change', 'delete') and whose values are arrays of configuration
  *   object names.
  * @param $target_storage
  *   A configuration class acting on the target storage to which the new
diff --git a/core/modules/config/config_test/config_test.module b/core/modules/config/config_test/config_test.module
index 88abf7c..8af386e 100644
--- a/core/modules/config/config_test/config_test.module
+++ b/core/modules/config/config_test/config_test.module
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ function config_test_config_sync_validate($config_changes, $target_storage, $sou
 /**
  * Implements hook_config_sync().
  */
-function config_test_config_sync($config_changes, $target_storage, $source_storage) {
+function config_test_config_sync($op, $name, $new_config, $old_config) {
   if (!empty($GLOBALS['config_sync_throw_error'])) {
     throw new ConfigException('Error during synchronization.');
   }